CSPD officer involved shooting ruled justified by DA following 2024 shooting in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Springs police officers' use of deadly force while responding to an active shooter call on Dec. 13, 2024, near the 3800 block of Astrozon Blvd, has been ruled as justified by the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s (DA) Office.
The DA's office released its report on the shooting on Oct. 27, 2025, outlining the events leading up to the incident and the actions taken by the officers during the confrontation.
Events of December 13, 2024
According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO), which investigated the shooting, the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) responded to a report of shots fired around 11 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13. near the 3800 block of Astrozon Blvd.
Employees at a restaurant reported that a man identified as 33-year-old Dean Ackerman approached the restaurant and began to act belligerently towards the employees, and then pulled out a handgun and shot at the business when he was not let inside.
According to the DA, video surveillance recorded Ackerman firing at the business and then getting back into his vehicle, which was parked directly in front of the restaurant.
Earlier in the evening, before this, EPSO received a request from Ackerman's wife at their residence, where she told EPSO that Ackerman was armed, appeared intoxicated, and had made a suicidal statement during an argument before leaving.
EPSO says they were unable to locate Ackerman after this and had dispatched a BOLO (be on the lookout).
When officers arrived at the restaurant several hours later, they found Ackerman inside a vehicle in the parking lot. According to EPSO, he was armed and was seen waving a gun around.
The sheriff's office said CSPD officers negotiated with Ackerman for nearly an hour, but he refused to drop the gun and fired it multiple times into the air. At one point, he raised the gun at officers, and several officers fired their weapons at him. EPSO said officers immediately rendered aid, but the suspect died at the scene.
After eight CSPD officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave while EPSO conducted an investigation.
DA's Office rules officer's use of deadly force justified
In interviews conducted by EPSO, Sgt. Brady Mitts, who was identified as one of the shooting officers in the incident, told investigators, “There were times when I was holding a firearm on him where I was
very concerned for the safety of the officers that were over there. If he swung that handgun
towards us, or should he decide very quickly to fire a round, I had this belief that he did want to
commit suicide by police officer.”
Another officer, Daniel Broom, who was involved, told investigators, “If he hadn’t already, he was going to shoot at the other officers. He could have killed somebody. He could’ve killed the bystanders that were across the street, recording, ‘cause we could hear them in the background.”
The DA says, after a thorough review of the facts and evidence, that all eight officers involved in the incident were justified in their use of deadly force and that no charges will be filed against them.
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